Frameless containers for carrying cargo are known and one such container is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,405 ('405) which is herein incorporated by reference. Further, a frameless container is also disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/987,925 ('925) filed Dec. 9, 1992, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,079 on Feb. 15, 1994 assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, and also herein incorporated by reference. The '405 patent discloses a frameless container, that is, a container without posts stiffening its side panels, which is specially designed to provide an enlarged interior volume in the cargo-carrying container while at the same time providing an interior surface without protrusions that might otherwise damage cargo within the interior. The '405 patent serves its intended purpose well, but further improvements to such frameless container are desired. More particularly, it is desired to retain, as far as possible, the above outlined advantages of the '405 patent container construction, but to do this at a reduced material cost and with improved material availability.
Scuff plates to protect the inner surface of a cargo carrying container are known, and one such scuff plate is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,047 ('047) which is herein incorporated by reference. The '047 patent discloses a unitary uniform height scuff plate that forms the whole lower portion of the sidewall of a trailer cargo body having a relatively level floor or a sloped floor such as found in a "wedge" trailer. The upper portion of the scuff plate has a ledge upon which rest and to which are connected the trailer sidewall panels and the trailer post members which stiffen those sidewall panels.
It is desired that a scuff panel similar to that of the '047 patent be provided; however, it is further desired that such a scuff panel be provided by replacing the lower portion of a container sidewall of the type described in the '079 U.S. patent. The sidewall of the '079 patent is constructed of multiple lap-jointed plates, instead of a single unitary plate as per the '405 patent or instead of post stiffened panels as per the '047 patent. Further, it is desired that the scuff member be interconnected to the upper sidewall portion in a simple yet structurally sound manner and, more importantly, provide a relatively smooth surface facing the interior of the container that will not entangle any of the cargo or the equipment used to load or unload the cargo.
In addition to a scuff plate, it is important that the panels comprising the upper portion of the sidewalls of the container be sealed watertight at the lap joints between them and around the periphery, where they interface with and are structurally connected to other container members, so that the moisture or rain on the outside of the container does not find its way into the interior of the container.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide means to safeguard the sidewalls of the trailer against the entrance of moisture into the interior of the trailer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a scuff plate construction for a frameless cargo carrying container which avoids entanglement with the cargo or any related loading or unloading equipment.
Moreover, it is another object of the present invention to provide a scuff plate that is connected to the upper sidewall portion of the frameless cargo carrying container in a structurally sound manner while still providing a smooth surface that avoids entanglement with any of the cargo being carried by the container or any equipment used to load or unload this cargo.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a unitary scuff plate and an upper sidewall portion, both being either wedge-shaped or of uniform height, which, when combined to form a complete sidewall, can be used to construct either a "wedge" or a "straight" (non-wedge) container, primarily used as a trailer cargo body.